ASHI and MEDIC First Aid Blog

In honor of CPR and AED Awareness Week, let’s dip into the HSI mailbag for some Good Samaritan stories for a dose of inspiration about the lifesaving difference a trained bystander can make.

Just doing what I was trained to do

From MEDIC First Aid and ASHI instructor Jason Davis of Clatskanie, OR, we learned about Julie Pense.

On July 4, 2015, Julie and her family were at Rockaway Beach in Oregon attending the annual Independence Day parade. During the festivities, Julie witnessed a middle-aged man collapse near her.

She remembered her Emergency Medical Responder training and immediately took action. She assessed the patient and determined that he was in cardiac arrest. She began CPR and directed others to call 911 and get EMS on the way.

Traffic was very congested due to the parade and the ambulance sirens were ignored at first by the crowd, who thought it was just part of the parade. Julie continued CPR for several minutes until relieved by the ALS unit.

Julie then assisted with crowd control and directed traffic to clear a path for the ambulance to depart safely with the cardiac patient. After the scene was clear, her young son looked at her and said, "Mom, you just saved that man's life!" She humbly replied, " I was just doing what I was trained to do.”

Learn to Save a Life Today. Click Here. 

Right place at the right time

Sue Lockhart of ASHI Training Center Lockhart Training in San Diego, CA, shared a story from December 18, 2015.

Belmont Park employee Reyes Evangelista was doing rounds in the park checking on the crew when he heard a man yelling for help in front of an arcade.

Reyes assumed the man simply wanted to get on one of the rides nearby, but then the man said that his child was not breathing. Both he and the father ran inside the arcade to the distraught mother and the unresponsive two-month old baby.

Reyes immediately took the baby and laid him on the air hockey table to perform CPR. It only took 3 pumps and the baby took a breath of fresh air. Several lifeguards came shortly after that and told Reyes that he did a great job and that they were so proud of him. Reyes was in complete shock at that moment, but later said, "I was just there at the right place at the right time."

Learn to Save a Life Today. Click Here. 

Quick action led to full recovery

For our last tale of heroism, ASHI instructor Laraye Bay of the Baltimore County Department of Corrections reports that on Friday, February 19, 2016, Officer Mae Clark observed an inmate sitting on her bunk with a sheet tied around her neck and she appeared to be unresponsive.

Officer Clark called a Medical Code II and several additional correctional staff responded to the scene. Officer Clark, Officer Alysha Davis, and Officer Thomas Giannantonio removed the sheet from the inmate’s neck and guided her to the floor. Sergeant Raymond Stinson, Jr. initiated CPR.

The inmate began to breath again and was placed in the recovery position. She was transported by EMS to the hospital where she made a full recovery.

Learn to Save a Life Today. Click Here. 

Thank you to all our instructors and students for your knowledge, skills, and willingness to step up in an emergency. Thank you for being our everyday heroes.

Need a little hero training in your own life?
There’s a MEDIC First Aid or ASHI class near you!